Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL Pricing, Images, Color Variants Have Been Leaked

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Sep 20, 2017

OnePlus has collaborated with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (aka JC/DC), a fashion designer from France to create a limited version of the OnePlus 5 called “the Callection.” OnePlus will be holding a pop-up event on Sept. 22 at the fashion boutique Colette in Paris to sell the OnePlus 5 JCC+ limited edition smartphone. The event will start at 10 AM CEST (4 AM ET in the U.S.). In the coming weeks, the Chinese firm will be holding pop-up events for OnePlus 5 JCC+ limited edition in other regions in Europe.

The limited edition OnePlus 5 will be sporting a trendy design featuring a blue colored power button and a yellow colored mute button. It will be also sporting a red volume rocker and the back panel will be inscripted with some writing.

The OnePlus 5 JCC+ limited edition will go on sale from Oct. 2 and it will be sold exclusively in Europe through OnePlus.net. The handset that is powered by Snapdragon 835 chipset is accompanied by 8 GB of RAM. It features 128 GB of storage. The OnePlus 5 JCC+ limited edition will carry a pricing of 559 euros / £499 GBP (`$672).

Earlier this year, OnePlus had sold 250 units of OnePlus 3T Colette Edition through Colette retail outlets in Paris. There is no information on the exact number of units of OnePlus 5 JCC+ limited edition that will be available for buying. Here is an image of the retail box of the special edition OnePlus 5:

OnePlus 5 is the first smartphone from the company to come with dual rear cameras that includes a 20-megapixel sensor and a 16-megapixel sensor. The dual cam setup is equipped with various features like PDAF, EIS, dual-LED flash and 1.6x optical zoom. Its frontside features a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The handset is fitted with a 5.5-inch Optic AMOLED display that supports full HD resolution and is packed with a 3,300mAh battery.

OnePlus will be also selling other JC/DC-designed limited edition items such as t-shirts, tote bags, caps, and holsters. These items will be also available in other markets like North America, China and India, but the OnePlus 5 JCC+ limited edition will remain exclusive to Europe.

The t-shirts will be priced at 29.95 euros / 27.95 pounds (`$38) and the tote bags will be available for 24.95 euros / 21.95 pounds (~$30). Other items will be made available for buying later this year through limited sales drops.

Google Pixelbook Image, Pricing Leaked, Reportedly Launching on October 4

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Sep 20, 2017

Google is holding a launch event on Oct. 4 to unveil the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 smartphones. The search engine giant is also speculated to unveil some other new devices such as Google Home Mini smart speaker, new Daydream View VR and one more thing… Google Pixelbook convertible laptop.

Google Pixelbook

According to Droid-Life, the next Chromebook from Google will be called Pixelbook. It will be a convertible device that will can be used as a laptop and also a tablet. The specifications of the Pixelbook is still under the wraps. Shown below is the first image of the Pixelbook.

The Pixelbook will be coming in three storage sizes such as 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB. These models will be respectively priced at $1,199, $1,399 and $1,749, claims the publication. The device will be available in Silver color only.

The Pixelbook would be supporting the Pixelbook Pen that will be sold separately with a pricing of $99. It will be a pressure-sensitive stylus that will carry tilt support and offer lag-free experience. More information on the specifications of the Google Pixelbook is expected to surface in the coming weeks.

Google Home Mini

The same publication claims that a smaller version of Google Home smart speaker will be also unveiling on Oct. 4. The device is expected to arrive in colors like Chalk, Charcoal and Coral and it would be priced at $49.

The leaked press renders of the Google Home Mini suggest that it won’t be a wireless device. It can be used for scheduling, setting reminders. grabbing news and more. The four dots that can be seen above the device will provide feedback when the user interacts with it.

Google Daydream View VR

Google is also expected to announce a new VR device that will be called Daydream View VR. It will be an improved edition of the predecessor model. It is expected to carry a pricing of $99 and is expected to come in colors like Charcoal, Fog and Coral.

Google’s upcoming event will be held at 9 AM PT | 12 PM PT on Oct. 4. It will be held at the SF Jazz Center that is located San Francisco.

What do you think about the Google Pixelbook? Will it be able to give tough competition to the new iPad Pro? Share us your thoughts by posting your comments below.

(source 1, 2, 3)

HMD Working on Android Oreo For The Nokia 8, Shows off Screenshots

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Sep 20, 2017

HMD Global is putting lots of efforts to ensure that the Nokia brand returns to its glory days. The company released its latest product and first flagship model since this era, not too long ago. The Nokia 8 may not have met the expectations of a number of ardent followers of the brand but it sure does feature a powerful specs lineup and a cool design. Nokia 8 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat but users of the phone may not wait for too long before Android Oreo hits their devices.

A Nokia Exec, who is actually HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas recently shared two images on Twitter which practically teases that the company is working on updates to ANdroid Oreo for the flagship. The images were those of the Nokia 8 with a prompt to download Android 8.0 Oreo, the latest version of Google’s popular operating system. For now, no smartphone has featured Android Oreo but Google is expected to launch the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL running its latest OS. So, we may not be seeing the update for Nokia 8 very soon.

The Nokia Exec hinted that his company was working on perfecting the Android 8 OS for the Nokia 8 and when that has been achieved, it would roll out. For now, the company is still testing the ROM as could be seen in the screenshots. Curiously, the new ROM comes with a size of almost 1.3GB. Perhaps, the size could be compressed further as HMD had earlier hinted that all its models released so far will get Android 8 updates.

To refresh your memory, Nokia 8 boasts of a 5.3-inch QHD panel and is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM. The Nokia 8 also packs 64GB of internal flash memory expandable with a microSD card. On the camera end, the device features a 13MP front-facing camera, while it sports a dual camera setup at the rear comprised of two 13MP modules with laser and phase detection autofocus support and a dual-LED flash. The device also features a USB-C port, Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC, among others.

Huawei Mate 10 Real Photo Leaks Ahead Of Launch

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Sep 19, 2017

Ahead of the October 16 official launch of the Huawei Mate 10, we have had the opportunity of seeing what is said to be the Mate 10’s real photo. The single photo was leaked by popular Twitter leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks). Considering Evan Blass’ track record, we have absolutely no reason to doubt this is actually the Mate 10.

The Mate 10 is traditionally a big smartphone, so no surprise about the large size of the photo. It is a flagship device and from the photo, we can gather that it won’t be too different from the Mate 9 and other preceding Mate series models. Previous rumors had tipped the Mate 10 as coming with a bezel-less, full-screen design but that may not be the case. In fact, a Twitter user expressed this concern and Blass was quick to respond that the bezel-less, full-screen model would be the Mate 10 Pro. Recall that Huawei unveiled the Mate 9 last year along with the Mate 9 Pro which adopted a curved edge display. This time around, the screen will see a change to the trendy bezel-less design.

The leaked Mate 10 photo, however, shows that the phone will come with a design that’ll see it have a small chin and forehead. The side bezels are also ultra-thin with a high screen-to-body ratio. The Mate 10 is expected to have a 5.9-inch display with 2160 x 1080 pixel resolution and would be powered by a Kirin 970 chip, which is Huawei’s first 10nm chip and one with AI capabilities. The Mate 10 is also expected to feature a Leica-branded camera setup which may still be a 12MP main sensor teaming up with a 20MP monochrome sensor just like it was featured on the Mate 9 and Huawei P10. The flagship device is also expected to pack the latest EMUI interface based on Android Oreo among others.

Just A Month After The X1, Gionee X1s Arrives With Bigger Display, Larger RAM & 16MP Selfie Camera

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Sep 19, 2017

Gionee released the X1 as an entry-level phone last month. Today it has announced the Gionee X1s which features slight changes in physical appearance but an overall haul in specs.

Gionee X1s Specs

The Gionee X1s has a larger 5.2-inch HD screen with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is now powered by the MT6737T – a more powerful variant of the MT6737. RAM has also been bumped up to 3GB but storage remains 16GB with option for up to an additional 256GB via a MicroSD card slot.

The X1s also features big upgrades in the camera department. The rear camera is a 13MP sensor and the front camera has been bumped up to 16MP with features like Face Beauty 2.0 and Beautified Video.

There is a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner below the camera. One of the design changes is the addition of a speaker grille at the back. There is also a 3.5mm audio jack at the top and a micro USB port at the bottom. The Gionee X1s runs Android Nougat with Amigo 4.0 UI overlay and has a 4000mAh battery.

Gionee X1s Availability and Price

The Gionee X1s comes in black and gold. It is priced at INR 12,999 (~$202) and will go on sale on various platforms starting Thursday, September 21.

These Nokia 9 Mockup and Renders Gives Us A First Glimpse At The Flagship

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Sep 19, 2017

The Nokia 2 is the next Android smartphone we are expecting from HMD Global but the Nokia 9 has also been in the news in recent times.

The Nokia 9 is expected to launch as a premium flagship device like the Nokia 8 but with major design changes. A mock-up of the phone was leaked online and according to Nokia Power User, the source is known for genuine Nokia and Lumia device leaks.

The Nokia 9 is seen beside the Nokia 2 in the mock-up. The back is curved allowing for a better grip and report says it is made of glass to allow for wireless charging.

It features a vertical dual camera setup like the Nokia 8 but that is the only thing they have in common. The housing for the sensors is shorter. The LED flash is also flanking it on the right.

Another major difference is the position of the fingerprint scanner. Unlike the Nokia 8, Nokia 6 and Nokia 5 which all have their fingerprint sensors in front, the Nokia 9 is seen here with its own at the back. The reason for this is because the bezels in front will be minimal to allow for a greater screen-to-body ratio just like we have seen in lots of phones this year.

Renders of the Nokia 9 were made by YouTuber Waqar Khan based on the mock-up.

HTC Has Three New Smartphones Launching Q4 2017, Standalone VR Headset Details Revealed

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Sep 19, 2017

After the release of the U Ultra and U Play at the beginning of the year, Chialin Chang, President of Smartphones and Connected Devices Business at HTC, said the company will release 6-7 phones this year. So far, it has released four devices – the One X10 and U11 are the other two.

A member of the HTC community, Corn Chen has revealed the codenames and features of three other devices set to be released before the end of 2017. The three phones are Ocean Master, Ocean Harmony, and Ocean Lite.

https://twitter.com/corn_chen_/status/909792878498476035

Ocean Master is said to be a 6-inch device with 12MP and 8MP cameras. It will also come in two configurations – a 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM variant and a 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM model.

Ocean Lite and Ocean Harmony on the other hand will both have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. However, Lite will have a 5.2-inch display and Harmony will keep the 6-inch screen size.

According to him, Ocean Master and Ocean Lite may be announced in November and Ocean Harmony will be announced in December.

That’s not all Corn Chen revealed. A few days ago, he also posted a picture on Twitter that revealed the design and name of HTC’s standalone VR headset.

The VR headset will launch as the HTC Vive Focus and will be powered by Google’s Daydream. The VR headset is shown to be slightly bulky with two straps – one that goes behind the head and another one that sits on top of the head. It also has a controller identical to that of the Daydream View.

Xiaomi Launches Roborock Sweep One with Improved Features over Mi Robot Vacuum Cleaner

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Sep 19, 2017

Xiaomi has officially unveiled a new smart robot cleaner which surprisingly isn’t the Mi Robot Vacuum 2 like we had thought it was. This is actually a product under the crowdfunding platform meaning it isn’t directly manufactured by Xiaomi but just like its first model, Roborock manufactured this one. It adopts the moniker Roborock Sweep One, an indication that the company is warming up to go solo and comes in with a steep price tag of 2499 Yuan ($380). This is way higher the price of the Mi Robot Vacuum cleaner which was priced at 1699 yuan ($258) when it was launched last year.

Roborock Sweep One is similar in many respects to its predecessor. The robot is still round and equipped with a laser rangefinder, which is moved closer to the center. The device also comes with a number of sensors which aids the robotic vacuum cleaner to circumvent obstacles, avoid steps, choose the most efficient route and quickly find a charging station. It also features a more powerful engine which can create a pressure of up to 2000 Pa as against 1800 Pa for the first model. There is also a large main brush located on one side.

One new innovative feature on the Roborock Sweep One is the ability to carry out wet cleaning. It has space for a water tank which sprinkles water on the floor, perhaps in order to better remove dirt. The tank contains water at full capacity that can last for up to 45 minutes to 60 minutes of operation.

In addition, the Sweep One packs a 5200mAh battery which is designed to provide 2.5 hours of battery life, equivalent to cleaning a 250m2 room. The device also has the ability to start cleaning when it is scheduled to do so and users can specify the area of the house that needs to be cleaned. These two functions can be initiated on the Mi app. It can also increase its power when a rug is detected. The LDS sensor also is improved for the robot to better scan the room and plan a sweeping path.

Despite the 2499 Yuan price tag, the Roborock Sweep One only spent about 3 hours on crowdfunding before it closed with over 10 million yuan raised. No word yet on when it will go on sale.

Huawei Maimang 6 Live Images Leaked

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Sep 19, 2017

The Huawei Maimang 6 (or Huawei G10) is set for a September 22 release. The unique selling points of the phone are its dual front and dual rear cameras in addition to its full-screen display. Just a few days ahead of its release, live images showing the front and rear of the device have been posted online.

The unit leaked is the silver variant which has a white front just like the official render of the black variant leaked by Evan Blass a few days ago.

The display is a 5.9-inch screen but thanks to the reduced bezels, it will have a compact size compared to other large screen phablets. The image of the front gives us a look at the dual front facing cameras, sensor, earpiece as well as a front flash. The bezel at the bottom has the Huawei branding.

Nubia Full-Screen Phone Spotted In A New Render

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Sep 19, 2017

Present happenings in the tech industry reaffirm our stance that 2017 is the year of full-screen, bezel-less phones. Well, full-screen phones yes but not so true about bezel-less, because there is usually one form of bezels or the other but the bezels are usually so thin. The list of OEMs with bezel-less phones continues to grow, Nubia may soon join with a full-screen phone which has been spotted in a render recently.

The leaked renders are said to be for a Nubia “full-screen 2.1” smartphone which goes by the code name NX595J. Tagging it “Full-screen 2.1” is perhaps to suggest that the device will come with a higher screen-to-body ratio than the Mi Mix 2 which was labeled as utilizing full-screen 2.0. The screen has just tiny bezels at the top and bottom edges while the sides are near bezel-less. There are dual cameras at the rear with an LED flash sitting in between the vertically aligned cameras.There is also a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and interestingly, the device seems to have an 18.5: 9 aspect ratio just like the Galaxy S8. The back of the mobile device also adopts a curved design on all sides.

This will not be Nubia’s first bezel-less phone, as the Nubia Z17 flagship released earlier this year packing an SD 835 chip features a design lacking bezels on the two side edges. But the NX595J takes it a lot further, featuring a full-screen design with even lesser bezels than on the Z17. No word yet on the likely specs or if Nubia will drop this model this year.

India Gets The Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 And Eluga Ray 700

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Sep 19, 2017

Panasonic has unveiled two new phones for the Indian market – the Eluga Ray 500 and Eluga Ray 700. Both phones feature large batteries, metal bodies and Panasonic’s ARBO AI Assistant.

Eluga Ray 500

The Eluga Ray 500 has a 5-inch HD screen with a 2.5D curved glass. It has 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and is powered by the quad-core MT6737 processor.

The Eluga Ray 500 has dual rear cameras. One is an 8MP 120° wide-angle lens with a f/2.4 aperture and the other is a 13MP sensor with a f/2.0 aperture. The front facing camera is a 5MP f/2.4 sensor.

The phone has a 4000mAh battery and a hybrid dual SIM slot (nano only, 128GB max). There is a 3.5mm audio jack at the top and a micro USB port at the bottom. It also has a fingerprint scanner buried under the home button.

The Eluga Ray 500 measures 144.26 x 71.26 x 9.2mm and weighs 163g. It will sell for ₹8,999 (~$140) and will come in Champagne Gold, Marine Blue, and Mocha Gold.

Eluga Ray 700

The Eluga Ray 700 packs a bigger 5.5-inch FHD display with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It has 3GB of RAM and features MediaTek’s MT6753 octa-core processor. Storage is 32GB and can be expanded via a MicroSD card slot.

The Eluga Ray 700 doesn’t have dual rear cameras but it makes up for it in other ways. There is a 13MP f/2.0 camera on the rear with PDAF and the front camera is a 13MP f/2.2 sensor with its own LED flash too.

Panasonic has also put a bigger 5000mAh battery in the Eluga Ray 700. There is a front-mounted fingerprint scanner, a micro USB port and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

Meizu M6 Note vs Xiaomi Mi 5X Camera Comparison (Samples): Things Get Interesting

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Joel Joseph

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Sep 19, 2017

The Meizu M6 Note comes out as one of the best mid-rangers in the market, at least on paper. The camera is where things get really interesting, thanks to Meizu’s partnership with ArcSoft and the dual camera setup promising some great results. So, we decided to pit the Meizu M6 Note vs Xiaomi Mi 5X and compare how both fared in a camera comparison.

The Meizu M6 Note generally takes warmer pictures as opposed to Mi 5X’s cooler shade. The colors come out really well in the pictures from the M6 Note, but the whites look better on the Xiaomi model. That being said, in most of the daylight pictures, the M6 Note impressed us with details and colors. The colors in many of the Mi 5X samples were washed out, especially under direct sunlight.

As for the background blur effect, both manage to track objects clearly, but Meizu’s bokeh pictures seem to come out better, with a better focus on the object in the front and a stronger blurred background.

Low light images were really interesting. While the M6 Note was a bit brighter when it came to night time shots, the noise in the samples was significant. Most of the night samples were filled with a lot of noise in the dark areas, which rendered the picture unusable. In comparison, Xiaomi Mi 5X managed to keep noise to a bare minimum. It’s really disappointing to see such levels of noise in the low-light images as otherwise, the M6 Note’s camera would have been one of the best in this segment. Let’s hope this is something that can be fixed with software.

You can check out all of the Meizu M6 Note vs Xiaomi Mi 5X samples down below.

Moto G4 Plus Android 8.0 Oreo Update Confirmed; Motorola Maintains It Was Not Supposed to Get Android O

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Sep 19, 2017

In the last week, Motorola’s official blog carried the list of smartphones that will be upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo. Strangely, the Moto G4 Plus is not included in the list even though the company had confirmed in May 2016 that it will be upgraded to Android O. Even the marketing materials of the Moto G4 Plus that had released at that time stated that it would be getting Android N and O (Nougat and Oreo) updates. After facing criticism for making false promise to Moto G4 Plus users, Motorola has confirmed that the handset will be upgraded to Android 8.0 Oreo.

As it can be seen in the image above, Motorola had promised Android O for Moto G4 Plus. However, Motorola has removed all the references of Android O update for Moto G4 Plus.

A newer poster does not mention anything on Android O for the handset.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voyvRspkWAo

The above video that was uploaded on YouTube shows the listing of Moto G4 Plus on Amazon India. The Moto G4 Android Oreo promise can be clearly seen at 1:02 mark. The refreshed landing page of Moto G4 Plus on the retailer site does not contain any references of Android Oreo.

A Spanish brochure of the Moto G4 Plus also mentions in the Moto Pure section that Android O will be coming to the handset. More recently, Motorola India had also confirmed on Twitter that Moto G4 Plus will be getting Android 8 update.

Motorola India confirmed that moto g4 plus will receive android oreo..but no specific time..being a lenovo moto i think at least 1 year wait pic.twitter.com/k1l8LVY7aM

— Krishnendu Ballav (@KrishnenduBall2) September 15, 2017

Motorola Officially Confirms Moto G4 Plus Android 8.0 Oreo Update

Motorola claims that the Moto G4 Plus was never meant to receive Android O and it had erroneously mentioned the software upgrade for it. It added that the company will keep the promise of releasing Android O for the handset. Since it will be an unplanned upgrade, it will take some time for the company to release the update. The Moto G4 and Moto G4 Play that were unveiled alongside G4 Plus will not be receiving Android 8.0 Oreo update. Android 7.0 Nougat is the last major update for the G4 and G4 Play handsets.

Here is the official statement.

“It’s been brought to our attention that there were some errors in our marketing materials around Android O upgrades (sic) for Moto G4 Plus. This was an oversight on our part and we apologize for this miscommunication. It’s our general practice for the Moto G family to get one major OS upgrade per device, but it’s important to us we keep our promises, so in addition to the N upgrade it has already received, we will be upgrading Moto G4 Plus to Android O. Because this is an unplanned upgrade, it will take some time to fit it into our upgrade schedule. Watch our software upgrade page for more information.”-Motorola

(source|via:1,2)

270,000 Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Units Sold in Initial Two Days of Sales in South Korea

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Sep 19, 2017

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has received impressive initial sales in the home country of South Korea. According to The Investor, the three major carriers of the country have received 270,000 new subscribers in the starting two days of making it available at the stores.

The Galaxy Note 8 pre-orders that began on Sept. 7 came to an end on Sept. 14. During the said period, 850,000 Galaxy Note 8 units were pre-ordered. Interestingly, during the pre-ordered period of 13 days, the Galaxy Note 7 could receive 380,000 pre-orders. Hence, the Galaxy Note 8 has received twice the number of pre-orders than its predecessor in a short span of 8 days.

On Sept. 15, SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus South Korean carriers received 200,000 new subscribers for the phablet and on the next day, it received 70,000 more subscribers. The publication claims that the 270,000 new subscribers accounts for 32 percent of the total number of pre-orders the phablet received. In the first day of sales, the Galaxy Note 7 could add 160,00 new subscribers whereas the Galaxy S8 could at 260,000 new subscribers.

Market analysts are of the view that the Galaxy Note 8 will continue enjoy better sales as its only major rival, the IPhone X is scheduled to release globally on Nov. 3. Samsung has confirmed that the 64 GB Galaxy Note 8 is more popular than the 256 GB model in South Korea. Also, the most preferred color variant of the phablet in the home country is Midnight Black followed by Deep Sea Blue.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 which is available on pre-orders in various countries of the world is scheduled to release on Sept. 21. At present, the phablet is available in 42 countries and it will be coming to more markets in the coming weeks.

DJ Koh who pioneers the mobile division of the company had recently confirmed in an interview that Samsung will be releasing a foldable Galaxy Note in the next year. Since the company is known for unleashing Galaxy Note smartphones in the latter half of the year, the foldable Note is speculated to debut in Q3 2018. He has also confirmed that company is working on Harman-powered AI speakers. As far as Galaxy Note 8 pre-orders are concerned, Koh said that the initial numbers have exceeded the expectations of the company.

Google App 7.12 Teardown Reveals Active Edge for Google Pixel 2 and Google Assistant’s New Features

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Sep 19, 2017

Google has released the latest beta edition of Google app 7.12. A teardown of the app has revealed new features that will be coming to Google Assistant. It also contains some information on the arrival of Active Edge for Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2.

The HTC-made Google Pixel 2 was certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. in the previous month. It showed that the Google Pixel 2 will be coming with a new feature called Active Edge that will allow users to carry out certain functions by squeezing the frame of the phone. The function is already present on the HTC U11 flagship smartphone that was unveiled earlier in this year.

The Google 7.12 app teardown has revealed a line of code that reads “To change settings for the squeeze gesture, go to your phone’s Active Edge settings.” This is an indication that Active Edge can be used to summon Google Assistant. Recent reports also claim that the LG-made Google Pixel XL 2 would be also coming with squeezable frame.

The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 smartphones are slated to get announced on Oct. 4. A recent report has revealed that Google Lens will be one of the exciting features of the Pixel 2 duo. The feature will allow users to point the camera of the Pixel 2 / Pixel XL 2 to any object to get relevant information on it.

The Google 7.12 app teardown has also revealed that the Google Bar would allow users to customize its color and shape. However, it is not known whether Google Bar is a widget or quick search bar that will be available in the notifications area. Routines seems to be a new feature for Google Assistant that will allow it carry out multiple tasks simultaneously by saying a phrase to it.

By saying “Ok Google,” users can launch Google Assistant. However, the code found Google app 7.12 states users will be able to launch the personal assistant by saying a desired word. It has been also found that users will be able to choose desired voice for the Google Assistant.

In May, plenty of relaxation sounds were added to the Google Home smart speaker. It seems that Google will be adding “sleep sounds” like meditation, nature, ocean and so on that can automatically turn off the Google Home as the user falls asleep. The Google app 7.12 code also shows that Google Assistant will be also gaining enhanced podcast playback controls.

The full information on the Google app 7.12 teardown is available at the source link.

Xiaomi Mi Note 3 Teardown Reveals Three-stage Internals Similar to Mi 6

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Sep 19, 2017

Xiaomi announced the Mi Note 3 along with the Mi Mix 2 and a new Mi Notebook Pro laptop on September 11. The device has already gone up for sale so it is unsurprising that it has been given the teardown treatment. We bring you the Mi Note 3 teardown photos which isn’t really a guide in case you are looking for one. This is just to show you the internals and perhaps take note of a couple of important stuff inside.

The Mi Note 3 is a bigger version of the Mi 6 and Xiaomi did state that clearly during its launch. The two models adopt exactly the same design on the outside and the hardware like dual camera sensors, metal body covered with glass, front fingerprint sensor and others are located in the same position on the two Xiaomi models. It is interesting to note that the internals are also arranged in the same manner on the Mi Note 3 as it is on the Mi 6. The internals are not exactly the same, as the Note 3 packs a mid-range Snapdragon 660 processor and a couple of other specs differences. Of course, SD 660 uses a 14nm FinFet process so would be larger than the 10nm Snapdragon 835 chip on the Mi 6. The teardown also reveals the Mi Note 3 comes with Xiaomi’s regular three-stage design, though which should make it easy to dismantle. The teardown begins by removing the SIM card tray at the side of the device. Thereafter, the rear cover is removed using a suction cup and then a flat object to pry open the cover. From then on, it won’t be a difficult task for anyone with the technical skills to disassemble the device.

If you’ll want to know more, you may be able to grab some more details from the source link down below. You can also check out the teardown photos from down below.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2 Specifications Emerge; May Launch Soon

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Sep 19, 2017

Samsung is known for releasing rugged versions of its Galaxy S smartphones. In August, the company had launched the Galaxy S8 Active smartphone that is exclusively available through AT&T in the U.S. In June, the rumor mill had revealed that Samsung is working on a rugged tablet called Galaxy Tab Active 2. It is expected to succeed the Galaxy Tab Active tablet from 2014. The alleged tablet has been recently spotted with its key specifications on GFXBench benchmarking site.

Initial reports had claimed that the Galaxy Tab Active 2 would be an entry-level tablet. However, its specifications that have emerged through GFXBench listing shows that it would be coming with mid-range specs.

According to GFXBench listing, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2 would be featuring an 8-inch tablet that would be supporting a resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels. The tablet was previously rumored to feature Snapdragon 400 chipset and 1.5 GB RAM, but the benchmarking site reveals that it is powered by Exynos 7870 chipset and 3 GB of RAM.

It has a main camera of 8-megapixel and a selfie snapper of 5-megapixel. The tablet is loaded with Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS. Other reports have revealed that the tablet features a 4,450 mAh battery and houses a fingerprint scanner.

The Galaxy Tab Active 2 is speculated to arrive in two models. The variant bearing a model number of SM-T390 is rumored to be its Wi-Fi only edition and the SM-T395 is expected to support both LTE and Wi-Fi connectivity. Speculations indicate that the tablet would be coming with an IP68 certified chassis. The original Samsung Galaxy Tab Active had featured an IP56 certified body. The Tab Active 2 may feature an anti-shock covering like the predecessor model.

The arrival of the tablet seems to be drawing near as both the variants of Galaxy Tab Active 2 have received certification from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. in the last week. Recent reports have revealed that the Galaxy Tab Active 2 may first arrive in markets like Europe and Latin America. The tablet is also expected to arrive in Asia and North America.

In related news, Samsung is also rumored to soon release an unlocked version of Galaxy S8 Active which is only available through AT&T in the U.S. Its model number SM-G892U and it has received Wi-Fi certification earlier in this month.

(source|via)

Huawei Mimics Apple’s “Failed” iPhone X Face ID Demo in New Mate 10 Teaser

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Sep 19, 2017

The growth recorded by OEMs in the smartphone industry only means that competition will continue to get stiffer by the day. It is not surprising to see OEMs directly comparing their latest models with those of the competition, pointing out the flaws in the competition’s product and other shortcomings that the user may not take note of. We saw this in a brazen form last year when Samsung was battling with the Galaxy Note 7 battery issue. Motorola released a video advert which touts that their battery won’t explode like that of the Samsung Note 7. Well, a mention of the Galaxy Note 7 wasn’t made but the timing of the ad suggested the Note 7 was the target.

Huawei seems to be doing the same thing with the newly launched iPhone X. Apple had unsuccessfully attempted to demonstrate the Face ID technology on the iPhone X during the product launch last week. Huawei’s video promoting the October 16 launch of the Mate 10 features a cartoon clown which is being identified using the Face ID but the process fails with the software instructing the user to try again. It is a short skit but laden with meaning. Recall that Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi had tried to authenticate his face using the Face ID twice without success in from of attendees during the product launch. He eventually succeeded during the third attempt wih some minutes gone but that isn’t enough for the competition to suggest the technology isn’t reliable. You can watch the clip here.

The short clip ended with the hashtag “the real AI phone” with the October 16 launch date written under. This is the known date for the Mate 10 launch so it is not far fetched that Huawei was making reference to the Mate 10 which would pack a Kirin 970 chip announced at IFA 2017 to come with artificail intelligence. Huawei touts the Kirin 970 is equipped with a Neural Processing unit meant for AI computing and related applications. We’ll have to wait until the Mate 10 is launched to see if it would live up to expectations.

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